Tire valve



` Jan. 19 1926. A 1,570,397

. s. PRESTON TIRE vALvE Filed Nov; 1, 1924 2 shees-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

` ATTORNEY.

Jan. 19 1926. 1,570,397

c. s. PRESTON 'uns VALVE A ruled Nov. 1. 1924 2 sheets-'sheet a C y I I n INVENTOR;

BY Z e ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan.` 19, A.

um Tien* fg .Application filed. '-No'vemtrj T all. whom tf/nay {concernf .Beit known that LGL"AnNoe'Sji'Pinsf Tonka ycitizenif the yUnitedStates;andja The present invention 'relates-.atoiin'flator valves for the innerV tubes offpneurnatlc i tires,and hasfor its. fprincipalfobject the' p loperate and `iurct-ion in substantially the Y provision'of more economical v'clon'struction and maintenance s L' It will be understood nr'ftlre cons1der`a` tionof the invention that inner tube inflator valve .comprises ,.niany' essential and accessory parts, including Athe* usual Vvail-ve body or 1stem,-;a removable corcoinposedof several rdelicate or non-inetallicgparts, an

auxiliary cap intended to. :hold ,fair which -may leak through theivalvercoreyand* anyl ut-sidev dust 'cap Ascrew threaded gover' the valve body or stein. v

It is, thereforeanother :object rif-fthe fin# vention to provide forjareduced number ofl parts.

'I Another objectfiniviewof the foregoing,

is to provide for making .the inner parts {of the valve zof more substantial construction. y Still another 'objectV- ot the '.'inventi'on is vto reduce the .costfof .maintenance byprovi'df ing .a construction vvhici; :will `pernfiit of the use of Ymetal in place of rubber'. y

Another object of the invention is toy pro'- v-ide .a '-.valve of lthe above mentioned ftypel in `Wfhiell tendency |to leakageis .reduced-to a practical.y min nated.

Still another objectA of the inventionis`v` to kreduce -thegam'ountof time required :to f Y y tube :guard and :rubber of the inner Vtube Y test, `:or test vand lill agpneuinatic ztire. g

Vi nother .object ofthe linvention is tenero- Vide a valve fof ,the above type which vwill usual manner, Kbut Whichfis'pract-i'callly infry InuneV from damage :by theelr hose or other apparatus A'commonly yusedk to inflateinnerl tubes.` .y

In 'additio Ito the 1foregoing, other-gobjects and numerous advantages iomy in# vention Will lappear hereinafter andfvvill beV whiclltheyaappear. l l .have illustrated byrtlre accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment oiiiny better understodbecause ofthe order fin- 11,.11192'4LfS-v mit@ mali-9s.

l invention, fancl'aa ,inodiication ther'of land in :thef'slaiddrawingsg E gare. itis aa; view in eamgedfertraiy *invent-ion.' 1f

thev 'coin-plete OfV 5.0

hereinafter know-nes the vinner tube.guard;

regar@ .firo,.,.isgaprspt ive shawn-gele, j

guard rand the flipper'.I fend :of 'the valve body to Aillustrate Sthey rn'aiiner in which "the v'guard mayl'be'attaehedto 'the valve.

@figure ai, @is:awiewfpapee1iy in @een Figure 13, isl a view in elevationfolthe pears .fen'pletely assembled lnearryingiout my mvefntionii l"the einl bodiinents shiowvmlfprovide Fa *vertical stein f, 15,-:wl-Iich .T virill' hereinafter lrefer *to as theV valve' body.y IS'aid lbody terminates in the usual liang'ed end :116, `wrifherfe'by 'it is `afd-apted for; .permanentfcnneotion. 13h-an .inner practice, the lower portion,jat least, 'of -l-the" bodyy is pro-vided' -Withexternal 'screw per end, the surfacwbein-g of -sn'ootlii' and finishedA appearance, as' at 91;' The'r eiiternal thre'ads-fare .carried "only high4 `enough "to" i Y i Vprovide for using-a usualnut .(Iio't shown.) 105 to fhol'dn'the sten-ifflcatedin the ,Wheel elly (not shown) Thel iinproved valvefillus-v tratedwjrequires ynooutsidey cover 'or j clust l `fcaip,- yfas vvi'l'l be particularly apparent here-k inafter, andy thus a reduction in the ycost of 11 manufacture of a complete valve is effected.

IThe valve body is provided with a central bore 22, which is enlarged at the upper end, as at 23. The valve body is of normal or standard diameter, and the upper end 23 of the bore 22 is internally threaded, as at 24 to receive a nipple 25. Said nipple provides the standard reduce upper end common to usual valve bodies for pneumatic tires, and provides means for attachment with an air hose or the like(not shown).

In conformance with another salient feature of my invention, said nipple is provided with flats 26, whereby a wrench, a pair of pliers, or like tools (not shown) may be employed to install or remove said nipple.

The nipple is provided with a through bore 27, whichterminates at the lower end in a tapered valve seat 28. Below the nipple and within the bore of the body Vthere is provided a spring 30. Between the spring and the nipple there is provided a valve member 32 having a spring seat 33 and a stem 34. The spring and spring' seat tend to hold the fvalve member centrally located and the spring is designed to hold the valve upon its seat with slight pressure to insure its return when it is depressed. The valve member is provided with a hemispherical valve disc 35, which coacts with the valve seat to provide an air tight joint. lVhile it is well known that a small metallic valve of this type is not a perfect Vretainer of compressed air, vit will be apparent hereinafter that perfection is not sought for or required in so far the valve disc and seat are concerned.

The internal threads provided for receipt of the nipple terminate abruptly so that the nip-ple can be screwed in only a given distance. Very slight leakage may take place around the threads, but it will also be apparent hereinafter that such leakage will not effect `the etliciency of the complete embodiment of the invention. Obviously, a tube equipped with Vmy improved valve may be filled, emptied or tested in the usual manner; the stem to which the valve disc is attached being arranged to project beyond the nipple, as shown in F ig. l.

The body terminates in a smooth upper surface or shoulder 40, coming at the intersection of the nipple and body. Said shoulder may be at the extreme upper end of the body or may be counter-sunk, as shown in the preferred embodiment. A rubber or composition washer or gasket 4l is pro-vided to fit in the recessed end of the body and to rest upon said shoulder. Said gasket should be of a material which is not greatly distorted under moderate pressure.

For screw threaded engagement with the upper end of the nipple, there is provided a cap 42, having a smooth under surface or seat 43. Said cap is adapted to coact with the surface 43 to provide against the escape of air therebetween. Likewise, the surface 40 coacts with the rubber gasket to provide against leakage between such surface and the said gasket. Air which might escape by the valve could not escape to the atmosphere by Way of the threads around the nipple. Likewise, air cannot escape down and under the cap. Therefore, even should the valve leak, and even should the joint between the nipple and body-threads leak, still no air would actually esca-pe from the interior of the valve body, provided the cap is securely screwed down upon its gasket.

.ln usual practice provision is made for placing the tube guard in position by sliding it over the stem while precluding its turning upon said stem. In conformance withk such practice, but contrary to usual const-rue tion, the valve body is left full round, but is provided with a vertical slot 44. Said slot terminates just below the upper end of the body, as indicated at 45, so that it does not break through the seat upon which the rubber gasket rests.

Accordingly the tube guard is formedso that a lug or projection 46 extends inwardly into the usual central aperture 47 thereof Said aperture is slightly larger than the smooth upper end of the valve body, but is only provided with the necessary clearance to slide over the threaded portion of the lower end of the valve body. By tilting' the guard slightly (see Fig. l0) it may be passed over the upper end of the valve body while at thel same time the lug is caused to enter the vertical slot. Subsequently the guard may be moved to a true horizontal position in which it may be lowered upon the body to its normal position. Once the tube guard is so placed around the valve body or stem it is precluded from turning thereon,

land is therefore always held in longitudi nal `alignment with the tube, as practice requires.

In considering the practical operation of my improved valve, it will be immediately apparent that air may be caused to enter readily but is checked from escape; the valve member coacting with the seat to provide a nonreturn valve. To inflate a tube equipped with the complete embodiment, the cap is first removed. A gauge (not shown) may be applied to the extended end of the valve member in the manner common to usual valves to test the pressure of air contained in said tube. VvWhen the tube is filled, the nonreturn function of the valve tends to prevent escape of the contained air. The valve, as well as the joint between the nipple and valve body may give rise to slight leakage. However, the valve cap should be ap lied immediately. By suitably grasping t e upper knurled end of the cap it may be applied against Y the gasket with considerable pressure. The.

- provided which' sets on a smooth` seat` 51.'.

Said gasket, in this instance, maybe amore -f 'Vmentand the spring seat for holding the said. enlargement up'kagainstl the valveseat; the nipple and stem being' devoid ofmeans,

result is an air tight connection which rprevents escape 'of air from the tube orl valve body, even though the valve member; self be imperfectly seated. A

, The entire assembly is equally as 'neat in,y appearance as any unit over which a dust cap is placed. f In addition, `it is a positiver means for preventing slow leaks through valves. Should Vthe valve member or seat become very inelicient or worn, yeither or both may be replaced. Likewise the washer. The cap, gasket, nipple, valve member, and spring may be successively removed in the order named. f

. In the form lof the'. invention Vshown in Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive, r,a gasket 50 is resilient composition of a rubber.. .l To retain same against lateral. displacement. lunder pressure, I provlde a metal ring or an# nulus .52, having a slightly lcupped lower The rubber gasket'V should be ofk slightly larger diameter than the valve body ,f

end 53.

and should fit snugly' but removably in The smallest diameter of the lower open end of the ring, asndi-v cated at 53, should be such that it vjust fits .f

.over the valve body. vThe cap is of such diameter as to ft into the open' upper end of the ring, in event the rubber'should `be compressed suiiciently to allow it to do so. In the use of this formof the invention,the cap is screwed down against the resilient gasket and the latter iscompressed inand 'into the cuplike member 52.7 Said mem. ber precludes lateral displacement .of the.

rubber and provides a -reenforcement and protection therefor.

member 52 itself may last indefinitely.'

It will be apparentnow that I have provided, among otherthings, a simple, durable, rugged, efficient and readily renewed valve assembly for pneumaticv tire tubes," and while I have shown vand described av specific embodiment ofmyinvention and a modification thereof, I do not limit myselfV to any specific construction or arrangement of parts, and may alter the constructionand arrangement of parts as I desire oras ocl`v casion requires without enlarging the vscope of my invention, within the appended claims. f

I claim:

l. Ina device ofV the class described, ai' valve body provided with a `small central bore, a deep counter-bore' at the upperend f in place.

,Thev rubber 'may be* removed from the member 52 and "be r `l placed as often as required, while the of the vbody providing. aspring seat at its intersection with the smallerbore, threads in said counter-bore terminating at a'point yappre'clably above the saidseat, an exterf nally threaded-nipple screwed into the bore ,asfanas the threads, per-mit; said bodyterv minating at `its upper end ina gasket-sur face, afsoft gasket repo'singl onfsaid surface and encompassing the jnipple; ythef.- nipple `extending beyond the gasket, means `associated with'the nipple to facilitate 'tightening in, or removal from, the body; the nipple providingy a Vcentral bore 'and a valve seat at-the lower end of the bore, a metallic valve stem extended through said bore and protruding from the upper end', a ymetallic 'integral enlargement to the lower end of the stem'capable of seating on said valve seat, a-

spring Vcompressed between saidfenlarge.`

for centering the stem, and a capl having an in y,thecap and bore,.and the threads on the nipple, all coacting injconformance with l thef character of thefgasket to provide Vfor the. nipple being secured to the body more firmly than it,V is normally possible to se-v u to the nipple with thegasket ,Y

cure the cap j 2. YIn a device as in claim l.; said gasket lbeing sufiiciently soft to tend to bulge out-v encompassing said'gasket externallyto direct the displacement of rubber inwardly;

v3. `Inal device of the classdescribed, a valve body provided with yan internally threaded central bore, van externally' threadnipplegthebody terminating in a surface.

adapted tol receive .a gasket and the nipple kwardlywhen compressed, and Va 'metal ring `ed`nipple removable in said bore; said nip'- l extending well beyond such surface, a soft rubber vgasketjlfitted around saidnipple and resting on said sur-faceva cap( adaptedtoj be screwed' kdown over the upper end of;

saidknipple .to compresstthe gasket on the, surface gsaid gasket being sufliciently"softr to tend to bulge outwardly unduly -when the cap isr in air tightrelation to the nipple, and nonexpansible meanssurrounding Y the gasket to ydirect the displacement of thev rubberv inwardly.

` CLARENCE s. Pn-nsToN. 

